Fragments of the Journals of the last Dragonborn
by The Eternal Guest
Summary: Fragments from the journals of the last Dragonborn, written around the year 202 of the fourth era, and now translated, insofar as it is legible. Much of it seems to be tales of the history of Tamriel, or of certain races dwelling upon it. Other parts pertain to the opinions people had at the time, and the rest is made up of opinions the writer, the Dragonborn, had.
1. Chapter 1

**Opening Author's Notes  
** **General :** Alright, so I wrote all of this towards the end of 2015 and promptly lost all interest in writing. I'm going to be attempting to get back into the habit over the holidays, and will be starting by reformatting my stories to make sure they're all properly legible. I was looking through a few of them and was almost ashamed at some of the mistakes I'd made, and the fact that, while it looked alright from my phone (where I had been typing and reading them) it looked awful when on a PC screen, so to anyone who had to sit through that I apologize.  
I'm not actually British or American, but the English I speak is of the British variation. I'll try to stick to US spelling though, in part because those red squiggly lines annoy me, and because most of the readers are from the US. If I miss any, do tell me, and I'll try to fix that.

 **Specific to this story :** This story is written from the perspective of a historian from a time after TES V : Skyrim, who has stumbled upon the journals of the Dragonborn and is translating them as he finds them. I've run pretty dry on ideas for following chapters and welcome any you might want to throw out there; I can't guarantee I'll use them, but I'll certainly appreciate them at any rate.

* * *

Fragments from the last Dragonborn's journal, placed in the order in which I found and translated them. It does not seem that he had any particular category in mind, and the writing resembles, more than anything, mostly unrelated rambling, ranging in category from opinions on races to all of existence, from disease-stricken people to empires and kingdoms, which is why I gave up on ordering them as they were written. I have collected and translated these to modern Tamrielic, as the originals are written in early fourth era Tamrielic, which lends further credence to my belief that these were truly written by the Dragonborn.

 _On Vampirism and Lycanthropy_

In my travels I have come across a great many things, as you may have expected, and I have decided to record in writing the most important or interesting of those, for others to read, and experience, what I have seen.

As the title suggests, this volume shall concern those stricken with the disease Sanguinare Vampiris, Vampires, and those stricken with Lycanthropy, werewolves.

I have met a great many of these in the wilds, and in cities, you might he surprised to learn. While a great many lived up to their respective stereotypes; attacking on sight and without mercy, there were also those who simply tried to hide what they were, and live as peacefully as possible. Others came to terms with what they were, and used it to their advantage, often to aid others with the strength and speed granted to them by their affliction.  
The greatest example of this was a group of Werewolves I met, and later joined. Yes, I was once a Lycanthrope, though I have since cured myself. The unique strain of the disease that had afflicted the group had been passed down between them for five centuries, willingly, from member to member. The first few had made a deal with a coven of witches to gain power, and they passed it on to those that followed them

None of them went out on killing sprees, and any murders they committed were to aid others, or out of self-defence. They were kind protectors of their area, not vicious beasts.

Whilst serving with the Dawnguard, I met an ancient vampire, whose mother had locked her away to keep her safe from her maddened father. She had been locked away for a great length of time, though I was unable to discover exactly how long it had been. She was certainly out of commission from before the time of Tiber Septim until I freed her.  
This vampire, daughter of the Vampire Lord Harkon himself,was named Serana, and she was instrumental in his defeat. She aided me greatly in the finding of the Elder Scrolls foretelling the "End of the Tyranny of the Sun", and in the claiming and safeguarding of Auriel's Bow, the very bow that shot Lorkhan's Heart to its resting place under Red Mountain when he had been defeated by Trinimac, who became Mauloch, or Malacath.

It had been this weapon which Lord Harkon had intended to use to end the sun's reign, and allow the Vampires to rise.  
Yet he was defeated, in part by a Vampire.

It is not right that society should so shun those afflicted; many of the newly infected Vampires have no desire to join a coven, but know that should they stay alone they will be found and killed.  
Lycanthropes often fight themselves, hiding who they are, until they snap, go feral, and have to be put down.  
If these men, woman and elves had a place to go, a place that would teach them to control their curse, or cure it where possible, there would be far fewer tragedies involving them, and the number of people changed against their will would be greatly reduced.

We cannot seek to exterminate them by force;their numbers are greater than any can ascertain, they blend in far too well, and should the feel truly threatened the more violently-inclined amongst them might attempt to forcibly turn as many people as they can to ensure the continuation of their kind.  
But more importantly than the logistical reasons for not attempting to murder them are the ethical ones. What right have we to decide their fate? Should we be attacked we must defend ourselves of course, but their is no need whatsoever for there to be anything but peace between our kinds. Their strength and speed can be a great asset to anyone they choose to aid. They often did not choose to become what they are, and were forced to join covens or packs to avoid extermination.

 _From the Journals of the Dragonborn, Volume one._

* * *

 _On the Falmer, who are the greatest evil in Tamriel._

Before I explain why, let me tell you of the Falmer, and how they became what they are today.

The Falmer were once Snow Elves, and to the Altmer they still are. The name, 'Falmer', even means 'Snow Elf' in their tongue. They lived in what is now Skyrim long ago, during the Merethic Era, and had a civilisation on par with that of the High Elves today.  
When the Atmorans came, they fought back and tried to push them away, the (in)famous 'Night of Tears' one example of such an event. But, as we all know, Ysgramor and his companions came to Tamriel, and they avenged their fallen kin. With weapons enchanted by the first great enchanter amongst Men, Ahzidal, they went to war, and they won.

When the Snow Elves saw they had been defeated, the survivors ran. Some hid in the mountains, some ran to the south, andmany of them sought refuge with the Dwemer, with whom they had long had an uneasy alliance.

The Dwemer welcomed them, but at a price. In return for being allowed to remain in their cities underground, the Falmer would give up their sight. From there the Snow Elves deteriorated further, until they became what they are today; hideous, dark-dwelling creatures.  
They may not be the most powerful threat, or the strongest fighters, but none surpass them in sheer malignancy.

The Thalmor may be a threat, but they do so with a goal. They kill and fight for what they believe is their way to immortality.  
The Dragons too, fight for what they believe is right. They see themselves as more powerful, and therefore believe they have the right to rule.

Many kinds of undead and creature will attack on sight, but they do not do so in a planned manner; they do not set up ambushes, or traps. They search for  
food, or protect their territories. They do not have the intelligence to assess a threat, and can therefore not be blamed for killing a child; it does not know what it is doing.  
We cannot hold that accountable which does not even know what it is doing wrong.

The Falmer kill most of those that enter their caves instantly, and had that been all they would not rate as any more evil than the undead do.  
But this is not all; for they do not murder out of ignorance. They have intelligence, they have currency, they even have their own script! They leave their subterranean dwellings with the purpose of obtaining human slaves, they farm Chaurus for their chitinous shells.  
They have the ability to smith their own armour and swords, bows and arrows, and so much more.  
There is simply no conceivable way in which they would be able to do as they do, but be unable to communicate a desire for peace with Man or Mer, or a desire for an adventurer to leave them be.

All other beings kill out of a desire for either power, safety or instinct. For Falmer it is simply to kill. They gain nothing from killing anyone that enters their settlements, and they are intelligent enough to know better.

I met a Snow Elf once, a paladin of Auriel. He shared with me his hope that one day, perhaps in the near future, the Falmer, or Betrayed as he called them, would develop more of an intelligence, accept Auriel once more, and become as their ancestors once were.  
I believe his hopes to be naive; the Falmer are already developed enough, they simply do not care to.  
They are well beyond the level of intelligence needed to live in peace and perhaps even trade with the other races. They do not because they do not wish to.

 _\- From the Journals of the Dragonborn, Volume two._

* * *

 _On CHIM, the realisation of truth._

"I breathe now, in Royalty, and reshape this land, which is mine, I do this for you, Red Legions, for I love you!"

Any who have been to a sermon on Talos or read the history of the Third Empire of Man will recognise this. The words of Tiber Septim as he swept the jungle from Cyrodiil, and erased it from the past, present and future.  
He did this, not using Divine powers, as many believe, for he was at this time still Mortal, but through CHIM.

CHIM. Royalty in the tongue of the Ehlnofey. It is what many scholars and even Daedra have aspired to achieve, and the Psijic order today still focuses on it in their path to enlightenment. But many fail.

What is CHIM? I know many of you are wondering this. To understand CHIM, you must first understand that this land, Tamriel, Nirn, Oblivion, Aetherius and even the Void and Stasis, is, in fact, a dream.  
It is not your dream. Nor is it mine. The Dreamer, or Godhead, as some call it, is not part of our world, nor has he control over it. He simply enables us to be here.

CHIM is achieved when you can see before you, the Wheel of Aurbis, with its eight spokes reaching out, turned so you face its side. Now you see the first tower. I.

This is what Lorkhan saw, what prompted him to trick or persuade, depending on who is asked, the other et'ada, first spirits, to create Nirn.

Aurbis lies in the space where Anu and Padomay meet. Where Stasis and Change clash. For in Stasis nothing is created, and in Change nothing can remain. Both are needed for any semblance of life.

When seeing this, the First Tower, one of two things will happen.  
The first, less pleasant, option, is that you realize that as you are part of a dream, you do not exist. It is possible, likely even, that this realisation destroys you. You will, quite literally, realise yourself out of existence. This is commonly, amongst those learned in the subject, referred to as a 'zero-sum'.  
The second, infinitely more pleasing outcome, is that you realize that since you are part of the Godhead's dream, you are part of the Godhead himself. This realization can lead to power such as Tiber Septim's, in erasing the Jungle, or Vivec's, who also achieved CHIM, in levitating the mountain Sheogorath cast at his city, also named Vivec. Later this mountain became home to the Ministry of Truth, Baar Dur.

Of course, that feat was less impressive as Vivec's disappearance led to it slowly falling down. The Dunmer managed to keep it in the air through a deal with Clavicus Vile, Daedric Prince of Power. When the machine that brought the souls the Daedroth demanded in return was broken though, the mountain crushed the city of Vivec utterly, and caused vibrations under the earth so violent they led to the eruption of Red Mountain, causing the infamous Red Year.

Not many even manage to see the First Tower though, as the concept of being a part of someone else's dream is too disturbing for them to handle. But for those who achieve CHIM, the world is open. For to realise you are essentially the Dreamer, is to realise you can control the Dream. In this though, I must advise caution, in the unlikely event that any of the readers achieves CHIM; one must not change too much. For to change too much risks the awakening of the Godhead, and therefore the instant deletion of our world, and all that reside in it.

CHIM is best known and understood by those who have achieved it, such as Vivec, or those beings old enough to recall the forming of the world, the vision of Lorkhan. 'The Commentaries of Mankor Camoran on the Mysterium Xarxes' and 'The thirty-six Sermons of Vivec' are some of the few books that refer to it with accuracy.

 _\- From the Journals of the Dragonborn, Volume three._

* * *

 _On the Underestimation of other Races by Men._

While much of what I have seen on my travels was striking in beauty, skill, wisdom, or a combination of those, some things I have seen struck me in the utter idiocy they displayed.  
Chief amongst these, as the title implies, is how Men think of Dunmer and the beast races, and how the Altmer think of everyone.

A grand example of this is Windhelm around the year 200, in the fourth era of course.  
Many of the native Nords had developed both hatred and disdain for the Dunmer and Argonians that were native to their city. Argonians were relegated to the docks, Dunmer to the insultingly renamed Grey Quarter, formerly the Snow Quarter.  
The Nords thought themselves by far superior, and many of them displayed outright hatred and disgust towards them. They thought themselves stronger, more courageous, and more honorable, though their actions seemed at odds with that.

Many of the Altmer, I should not need to tell you, believe that it is they who should rule. They see the Men and think them apes, they see the other Elves and think them amusing pets or a once-great race led astray.  
They believe they are the true heirs of the great society of the Aldmer, and only they can lead all others to greatness, under their command, of course.

And many, many, many of both races see the Argonians as lesser, and the Khajiit as untrustworthy thieves. Khajiit are not even permitted within some cities!

Yet it is those races, in particular the Dunmer and Argonians, that have proven themselves to be extremely powerful. To put all on a fair playing ground, one needs to look at a situation in which they were all involved, and of course, it is the Oblivion Crisis that springs to mind.

The Altmer fought bravely and with great Magical strength, but were in the end almost overwhelmed. The Men did much the same, only they were saved by the Divine Intervention of Akatosh, who took Martin Septim's body as his avatar and ousted Mehrunes Dagon, shutting the Oblivion Gates across Tamriel.  
The Argonians, in stark contrast, not only held their ground, but fought back with a ferocity that proved too much for the Daedric hordes. The Hist, trees older than anything else on Nirn, which I shall likely explain further in another Volume, recalled all Argonians to Black Marsh when first the Oblivion Gates were opened. The Argonians then pushed the Daedra back, and invaded a part of Oblivion. Eventually, the Daedra were forced to shut the portals to Black Marsh in order to survive the onslaught.

The Dunmer did not do anything near as spectacular during the Oblivion Crisis, as their power had long since started to wane, with the death of Almalexia and Sotha-Sil, and the disappearance of Vivec, but if we look at a time before this, when they were attacked by Mehrunes Dagon, we will see their mettle.

This was a very long time ago, during the Reman Empire, and not many even know of this, but Mehrunes Dagon and his Daedric army once marched through Morrowind to Mournhold, and laid waste to it. Almalexia and Sotha-Sil, two members of the Dunmeri Tribunal, arrived at the scene of destruction too late to stop it, but together, they fought the forces of Destruction. Sotha-Sil held all the lesser Daedra at bay, while Almalexia single-handedly took on the Daedric Prince. And she won. Not a single other mortal* can lay claim to having defeated one of the Seventeen on their own.

The absurdity of Khajiit and Argonians being regarded as lesser is only more ridiculous when we remember that Tamriel was at first populated by nothing but the Hist, Argonians and Khajiit. It was those that were here first.  
The Aldmer came from their continent when it sank, and the other Elves spawned from them.  
The Nords came from Atmora, towards the end of the Merethic era.  
The Redguards, or Ra'gara, warrior wave in their tongue, came from Yokuda.  
The Imperials descend from Atmorans and Akaviri invaders.  
And Bretons descend from unions of Man and Elf, long ago.  
So before treating them as outsiders, or lessers, remember; they were here long before you, and they are likely to be here long after you, in the case of the Argonians.

*I use the term Mortal loosely here, as at this time she had, together with Sotha-Sil and Vivec, turned herself into a semblance of a God, though they remained killable, as proven by the Nerevarine.

 _\- From the Journals of the Dragonborn, Volume four.  
_

* * *

 _On the Hist._

One must take great care when discussing the Hist, especially when discussing it with an Argonian. While unlikely to take offence, as I have found them to be remarkably accepting, they may become confused if you refer to their language as if you spoke of their Gods. Their language is, strangely to us, named the hist. The important difference in writing is the lack of a capital, and in speaking the 's' sound in Hist is longer and more drawn out, whereas hist is said more shortly.  
No large difference to us, but to a native speaker it truly means a lot.

The Hist. To truly understand how old they are, one must first understand the circle of Creation and Destruction our world is a part of.

Scholars refer to this cycle as the Kalpic cycle, and each individual 'turn of the wheel', in a manner of speaking, as a Kalpa.  
Our world was created, it goes through its cycle, or Kalpa, and then it is destroyed, to start again at the same beginning. This is repeated again and again.

Nobody knows how old the Hist are, only that they are older than this world. The Hist has somehow released itself from the cycle, and exists both in and outside it. It interacts with it, develops with it, and influences it, but it is not destroyed with it. It was here at the very dawn of this Nirn, and shall likely be there at the dawn of the next, and any after that.  
Another important distinguishing feature between Argonians and Men is how they treat their dead. The Argonians see a corpse as nothing but a bag of flesh and bones; anything of value left when the inhabitant died. Therefore, you are not like to find (m)any Argonian graveyards or crypts, as any dead are simply left in the Marsh, to serve as food and fertilizer to the inhabitants.

At first this seemed horrible to me; disrespectful, blasphemous even, but having thought it through, it makes perfect sense. The Argonians revere the Hist. They would feel no greater joy than to die knowing that their remains might be used to feed their Gods, of sorts.

While Men, on the other hand, have taken the odd path of believing that the spirit leaves the body after death, but that the body is somehow still important. I can confirm the existence of at least one afterlife, having been to Sovngarde myself, and not one of the heroes I spoke to had any form of knowledge relating to their corpses.  
Why then, do we take such care with these remains? I myself would have been infinitely more happy had the remains of my people's ancestors been used as fertiliser or feed, having fought through what seems like thousands of undead.  
What is less respectful, the return of your body to nature, or its resurrection to fight for another?

But back to the Hist. They are trees, or appear to be so to us, but are, at the very least, semi-sentient. They have a strong connection to each Argonian born within Black Marsh, as they ingest the sap of a Hist tree shortly after birth. It is through this connection that they could recall all Argonians to Black Marsh during the Oblivion Crisis.  
The Hist trees can communicate with each other, and on rare occasions will call all Argonians back to Black Marsh. The Oblivion Crisis and subsequent invasion of Morrowind is one such example. They have even taken Argonians to Oblivion for protection on occasion, when a threat was insurmountable.

Much of what is written here I learned through conjecture with those who have studied it, and Argonians themselves.

 _\- From the Journals of the Dragonborn, Volume five._

* * *

 _On the Dwemer._

The Dwemer. Many have grown up with tales of how they 'disappeared', mysteriously, at a time we do not know, in a way we do not know.

This is a lie. Perpetuated not out of malignancy, but ignorance. Of course it is known how and when the Dwemer disappeared; until a few hundred years ago there lived Dunmer who had spoken with them, and fought with them!  
The Dwemer disappeared during the battle of Red Mountain, in the six hundred and sixty-eighth year of the First Era. The Dwemer had long had a fascination with machinery, logic and power, preferably mixed into one. They held no great stock with either Aedra or Daedra, and worshipped none. The only one they had any relationship with was Hermaeus-Mora, lord of Fate and Forbidden Knowledge.

While mining under Red Mountain, the Dwemer discovered an artifact of immense power. It held such power that it could turn those who wielded the correct tools into immortal Gods. A more religiously inclined group might have believed thoughts like these to be blasphemous, but not the Dwemer.  
What object was it, that held so great a power? Lorkhan's heart. The Heart of a God lay below Red Mountain, having fallen there after Auriel shot it from his bow.

The greatest of Dwemer, high-priest Kagrenac, had smithed the tools he believed suited for the job. The hammer Sunder, the dagger Keening, and the protective Wraithguard. With those, he and his race could ascend to godhood, and crush those before them.

But the Chimer learned of his plans, and, thinking them blasphemous, set about stopping them. They attacked with all their might and conquered Red Mountain, taking the tools, but before they managed to do so, Kagrenac used the tools. But instead of reaching divinity, the Dwemer disappeared.

I know this to be the manner in which the Dwemer disappeared, for I had an acquaintance at the College of Winterhold who held great interest in the subject. He decided the best way to discover what happened would be to recreate the events leading up to it. Predictably this lead to the same result.  
He used a warped soul stone as a substitute for Lorkhan's heart, and only Keening to extract the power within. But before my very eyes, he disappeared when he struck the stone.

Later the Tribunal used these tools for their own gain, but that is another tale.

 _From the Journals of the Dragonborn, Volume six._

* * *

 _On the Tribunal and the Dunmer_

The Tribunal. Amongst the most powerful mortals ever to have been. Only Tiber Septim himself was unequivocally more powerful than any of them.

Now they have fallen, of course, but how did they gain their power? What could possibly raise a mortal to the heights of near-divinity?  
The Tribunal used the Tools of Kagrenac, Sunder, Keening and Wraithguard, to tap into the Heart of Lorkhan, as the Dwemer had intended. They had sworn an oath to Azura not to, but Sotha-Sil convinced them it was the better choice, that they would not need the Daedra if they themselves held the power.

Almalexia. Sotha-Sil. Vivec. The Mother, the Tinkerer and the Poet. ALMSIVI.  
That broken oath angered the Daedric Prince Azura, she changed the entire race of Chimer to show their infidelity. Their skin darkened to ash and their eyes lit with the fire of Red Mountain, the had become Cursed Elves. Dunmer.

But the Tribunal convinced the Dunmer it was no curse, but a gift.  
The Tribunal then ruled over the Dunmer, and well, for centuries upon centuries, never being conquered, never being overthrown, their power keeping their place and their kind secure  
The worst that happened under their rule was the destruction of Mournhold by Mehrunes Dagon, who, as discussed in my previous volume, was banished by Almalexia herself. Morrowind, like Black Marsh, was never invaded by Tiber Septim, but peacefully integrated through treaty.

The Dunmer have since the betrayal of the Tribunal ever looked as they do now, for better or for worse. It is unknown if their inherent resistance to fire also stems from this time.

But the General of Nerevar, Dagoth Ur, king of the Chimer at the time of the battle of Red Mountain, had also attained immortality. And as his power grew, the power of the Tribunal waned. Almalexia grew maddened, Sotha-Sil isolated himself in his City of Clockwork.  
He lured Dunmer into his service with dreams, infected them with the Blight, a terrible disease that grotesquely changed their bodies and ate away at their minds. Nerevar was then reborn, the Nerevarine was come. He was sent by Almalexia to kill Sotha-Sil, and later killed Almalexia when she turned on him.  
So most of the Tribunal had died.  
Then Vivec left as well, and Dagoth Ur was defeated. The Nerevarine disappeared, and none know for certain where he went. This left the Dunmer without those who had lead them for so long, without those who had guided their kind for as long as there had been Dunmer.

And then, of course, after the Oblivion Crisis, the newly reunited Argonians came to avenge themselves. The Dunmer, especially those of House Dres, had long held to the practice of capturing Argonians as slaves and selling them. The Argonians wreaked havoc across the southern plains of Morrowind, until House Redoran, with their famous bone-mold armour, managed to push them back.

This was not the end to the tragedies that befell Morrowind, for shortly after that Baal Dur fell, and Red Mountain erupted.  
And so, after so many years of peace and prosperity, it all fell apart rapidly, leaving the Dunmer as refugees in many places.

The information in this volume is in large part commonly known, and any who speak with a Dunmer will quickly learn this much, but it may be enlightening to some to learn that the Dunmer were not always as they are.

 _\- From the Journals of the Dragonborn, Volume seven._

* * *

 _On the Orsimer._

It is a common mistake for people to assume that Orcs are a beast race, as they look so dissimilar to any other race of Man or Elf. But in fact, they are Elves, Orsimer, and they did not always look as they do now. But to explain how they came to be as they are, we must look at their God, Malacath.

Malacath, Daedric Prince of the Ostracised, Spurned and Cursed. Fitting then, that the other Princes would Spurn him, and consider him not to be one of them.

For Malacath was once Trinimac, a God of Elves so popular he was in some places more revered than Auriel himself.  
But when his followers decided to leave, he advised against it, thinking it a bad idea.  
But Boethiah, Daedric Prince of Evil Plots, overpowered him, and spoke with his voice, encouraging the followers to leave the Summerset Isles.

Boethiah defeated, and promptly ate Trinimac, horrific as that may be, and from the remains rose Mauloch, Malacath, the Spurned God. For so hideous was he to look upon, that none but his closest followers would associate with him freely. They too, changed, become the Spurned Elves, Orsimer.

They are known as excellent warriors and great smiths, meaning they are welcomed in the Imperial Legion, and they value strength above all.  
In an Orc stronghold, each woman is either the wife or daughter of the Chief, other than the Wise Woman of the stronghold. Any son challenges his father for the chiefdom when he is grown, or will be ousted.

They place a strong value on blood, and should one commit a crime in one such stronghold they may find themselves paying 'The Blood Price', wherein they bleed until whoever they wronged is satisfied, and it is not easy to satisfy an Orc.

It is rare for outsiders to be accepted by a stronghold; while they will not attack you, they will make it very clear that they do not want you there. The way to be accepted is to be Blood Kin. This is, in essence, being named brother to a Stronghold Orc.  
This is not done lightly, by any means. I once brought an Orc obsessed with books and knowledge three Elder Scrolls, and was still turned down! But for those that acquire this gift, it is exceedingly useful. You gain access to ore-filled mines, Orcish smithing techniques and, should one of the Orcs be so inclined, a very capable companion.

A Stronghold Orc has been trained from birth to fight, and he or she does it well and often.  
Many an Orc have I heard shouting "No one bests an Orc!" as they ran into battle, and while this is an exaggeration, they do tend to be better fighters than any other race.

 _\- From the Journals of the Dragonborn, Volume eight._

* * *

 _On the Thalmor._

The Thalmor ruled the second Aldmeri Dominion, and they now rule the fourth. They are not so well liked in Tamriel, not after the Great War, but very few people know why they do as they do.

I mentioned in an earlier volume that they believe this is their path to immortality, and now I shall expand on that.

Long ago, before Nirn was made, there floated only Ada, spirits, in the place where Stasis and Change touched. There was no time, not in the sense that we know it. It flowed freely, doing as it liked. This means that nothing aged, and therefore all that was, was immortal.  
This was because there was but one Tower, the first, as I mentioned in my volume on CHIM. Time did as it liked around it.  
After Lorkhan caused creation, for which the Thalmor hate him, a number of Et'Ada left, Magnus and his Magna-ge chief amongst them. They tore a hole through creation and left the sun and stars in their wake.  
Auriel/Akatosh called a meeting between those that remained. He created the first second tower, the Adamantine Tower. It is the single oldest structure in Tamriel.  
All other Towers were built by different mer seeking to follow their chief deity after he, Auriel, ascended before them and left them.

The Aldmer built the Crystal Tower, the first place of study for arcana. It was destroyed by daedra during the Oblivion Crisis.  
The Red Tower formed around the Heart of Lorkhan after it was shot to Vardenfell.  
The White-Gold Tower was built by the Ayleids, and fell when the Amulet of Kings was destroyed during the Oblivion Crisis.  
The Orichalc Tower was built by the Sinistral Elves on Yokuda, and fell when the continent was drowned beneath the waves.  
The Walk-Brass Tower, the Numidium, was built by the Dwemer using the power of Lorkhan's Heart. It was destroyed by Zurin Arctus.

There are other towers too, but from these we can grasp the idea that Towers are not eternal, and are in fact falling one by one.  
The Thalmor seek to expedite this process, as described in this passage of a commentary on Talos written by them  
 _  
"To kill Man is to reach Heaven, from where we came before the Doom Drum's iniquity. When we accomplish this, we can escape the mockery and long shame of the Material Prison. To achieve this goal, we must:  
_ _1\. Erase the Upstart Talos from the mythic. His presence fortifies the Wheel of the Convention, and binds our souls to this plane.  
_ _2\. Remove Man not just from the world, but from the Pattern of Possibility, so that the very idea of them can be forgotten and thereby never again repeated.  
_ _3\. With Talos and the Sons of Talos removed, the Dragon will become ours to unbind. The world of mortals will be over. The Dragon will uncoil his hold on the stagnancy of linear time and move as Free Serpent again, moving through the Aether without measure or burden, spilling time along the innumerable roads we once traveled. And with that we will regain the mantle of the imperishable spirit."_

The "Dragon" refers to Akatosh, and as such, time. They wish to unbind time, and so free themselves from mortality.

 _\- From the Volumes of the Dragonborn, Volume nine._

* * *

 _On the year 201 of the fourth era, as experienced in Skyrim._

What important things have happened in this year? A great many, I would argue. The Stormcloak Interregnum, the return of Dragons, the attempted return of Miraak and Lord Harkon's attempt to end 'The Tyranny of the Sun'. In this volume I shall only speak of the first of these, as the latter will fill another few volumes.

The Stormcloak Interregnum was Ulfric Stormcloak's attempt to kick the Thalmor, and the Empire, out of Skyrim. He did this from his seat of power in Windhelm, and claimed that any true Nord should join him.

It is clear though, from how he ruled in his hold, that the Altmer were not the only race he disdained. Both the Dunmer and Argonians were ill-treated under his rule, and it was, in part, this that caused me to take side with the Empire.  
His reasoning was that the Empire was a Thalmor puppet kingdom, and that they had no right to ban Talos as Divine.

But it has become clear to me that he was as much of a Thalmor puppet as he claimed the Empire was: I myself found Thalmor documents naming him as a passive asset!  
The war he was fighting was the reason for the Thalmor's presence in Skyrim, the Empire being forced to allow it by the White-Gold concordat. It all started with his reclaiming of Markarth from the Reachmen.

After he retook Markarth (see the book "The Bear of Markarth" for details) he demanded the right to worship Talos as his reward. Before this point, many Nords had taken to ignoring the White-Gold concordat on this point, and owned a small shrine to Talos or an amulet of some sort. It was this open declaration that led to the Empire having to crack down on Talos-worship.

This had all been part of the Thalmor's plans. They had known the Nords would never stand for the loss of Talos, and they forced the Empire to take the fall. And then, with both Skyrim and the Empire weakened, they would take Tamriel in one fell swoop.

As my previous volume on the Thalmor stated, they desire for Nirn to fall to the void, that all Mer may become immortal spirits. One of the Towers preventing this is The Snow Tower, known as The Throat of the World. The highest point in Tamriel is its peak. It is fortunate, I believe, that the rebellion was ended so quickly, for otherwise we may already have been at war with the Thalmor.

I do not believe though, that war has been avoided. The Thalmor doctrine has no place in it for peace. Their desire is for all of existence to fade. As long as they exist they will fight.  
War has been postponed, until either the Empire or the Thalmor believe they are sure to win the next war.

 _\- From the Journals of the Dragonborn, Volume ten._

* * *

 _On Dragons._

Being Dragonborn, I have a strong connection to this subject, and insider knowledge, insofar as that is possible, of their species. There is a reason, unknown to many, for the return of the Dragons. A prophecy long ago recorded by Akaviri Dragonslayers, the prophecy of the Dragonborn.

 _"When Misrule takes its place at the eight corners of the world,_  
 _When the Brass Tower walks and time is reshaped,_  
 _When the thrice-blessed fail and the Red Tower trembles,_  
 _When the Dragonborn Ruler loses his throne, and the White Tower falls,_  
 _When the Snow Tower lies sundered, kingless, bleeding,_  
 _The World-Eater wakes, and the Wheel turns upon the Last Dragonborn."_

These lines refer to, respectively, the shattering of the Staff of Chaos by Jagar Tharn in the fourth century of the third era (the Imperial battlemage who locked up and subsequently impersonated Emperor Uriel Septim VII),  
the use of the Numidium in Iliac Bay, causing the localised Dragon Break whereby men walked in more than one place and all endings were made true,  
the fall of the Dunmeri Tribunal (ALMSIVI), as explained in my writings on the Dunmer,  
the end of the line of Septim at the end of the Oblivion crisis (through Martin Septim's becoming the Avatar of Akatosh), the fall of the White Tower, the Imperial city, to the Thalmor,  
and, the final straw, the civil war in Skyrim.

Skyrim being referred to here as "The Snow Tower", which is the Throat of the World, Skyrim's most iconic landmark. It being "sundered, kingless" refers to the Interregnum, so it is arguable that both the Thalmor and Ulfric Stormcloak did, in fact, cause the Dragon Crisis.

"The Wheel", as it is called here, refers to Aurbis, the eight spoked wheel of Nirn. And the last Dragonborn is, apparently, me.

A Dragon is by its very nature destructive. It is a creation of Akatosh, meant to devour the world at the end of its cycle, so that a new one may be born. The leader of Dragons, "Thur", they call him, is Alduin, the infamous world eater.  
Alduin is the one Dragon able to go to Sovngarde when injured, to replenish himself using the souls of the dead, meaning a lasting victory over him is even more challenging than a victory over any other dragon.

The reason the world was ruled by Dragons during the Mythic era is that the Dragons lost sight of their purpose, and rather than destroying the world fully, they decided to rule over the broken remains of it.  
Until, that is, their rule was broken. By Gormlaith, Felldir and Harkon, who fought their way to the top of the Throat of the World and 'defeated' Alduin, whereafter the other dragons were hunted down and killed.

I say 'defeated', because he was not truly gone. They used an Elder Scroll, a remnant of creation, to send him adrift on the sea of time, until he resurfaced in ours. He could not truly be defeated, of course, because they had neither a dragonborn, nor a passage to Sovngarde. Without both, they could not possibly cause his permanent downfall.

There are exceptions, of course, to the stereotypical dragon. Paarthurnax, for example. Brother to Alduin and the Dragon who taught Man to use the Voice, through Kynareth's blessing. Odahviing too, is an exception. This is the Dragon that brought me to the entrance to Sovngarde, in order to fight Alduin. And of course, the famed Nafaalilargus, the Red Dragon of Tiber Septim.

But each of those was still destructive, in a way. Paarthunax was constantly at war with himself, a struggle on its own. Odahviing still fought, but on the other side. Nafaalingus killed any who attempted to steal what he was charged with guarding.  
All Dragons fight, with Men, Dragons, or themselves, there are no exceptions.  
It is what they were made to do.

On their Magic.  
A Dragon's magic is his voice. He uses Rotmulaag, words of power, to create the effect he desires. These Shouts are almost always made up of three words. The most used one is Fire Breath. Yol Toor Shuul. Fire Sun Inferno. This Shout is used by many Dragons, but not all, to create a stream of fire that can incinerate almost anything in its path. Others use a different shout to create blizzards from their maw, as the rhyme mentioning the Jagged Crown describes,  
 _"Maw unleashing razor snow, of Dragons from the blue brought down, births the walking winter's woe, the High King in his Jagged Crown."  
_ This covers the shouts most dragons use, but not all. Some unique dragons will deviate from this; Durnehviir has been in the Soul Cairn since the Mythic era and can practice necromancy through his Voice.  
Alduin himself could recall the souls of dragons slain by any other than a Dragonborn through use of the shout _"Slen Tiid Vo"_ , bringing flesh to their bodies and undoing the damage done to them by time.  
The most powerful Dragons use " _Wan Lah Haas_ ", _Magicka Stamina Life_. It drains these three things from its victims.

Contrary to what might be expected, Draconic magic is not limited to Dragons. Any mortal with a voice can learn to channel their life force through Words of Power. Alduin was first defeated by those three mortals I named earlier with the aid of the words " _Joor Zah Fruul"_ , and the meanings behind those words are so foreign to Dragons that they cannot make use of it themselves.  
To use a Shout one must take the meaning unto themselves, they must understand what is meant by it, what is felt, what the implications are behind it.  
Or so I've been informed; as the Dragonborn I need merely slay a Dragon to steal some of his understanding. The words " _Mortal, Finite, Temporary"_ are so foreign to the mind of an immortal Dragon that he cannot comprehend them.

On fighting Dragons.  
The safest way to fight a Dragon is to make use of wards. Because a Dragon's Breath attack is a continuous stream, it does little damage per second. This means that even a lesser ward is enough to keep yourself safe from it. This does not help against teeth though, so I'd advise caution on that.  
Beware the tail as well, I have seen many a would-be Dragonslayer thrown wide by a swipe of the tail.

I do not, of course, condone people going out to find and kill Dragons. It is a highly dangerous thing to attempt, and there are those who have made a career of killing them. The Blades are a highly capable group, though we have fallen out over my refusal to kill Paarthurnax for crimes committed eras ago, and they are fully able to kill most any Dragon.  
With Alduin gone there is no Dragon that could raise others, so there is no need to devour its soul.

 _From the Journals of the Dragonborn, Volume eleven._

* * *

 _On the Failings of the Empire, and those of the Stormcloaks._

The civil war in Skyrim is, of course, not only the Stormcloaks' fault. The Thalmor had their role in it, as did the Empire. The Empire should never have agreed to a peace treaty with the Aldmeri dominion, for there would never be a fair peace treaty between the two powers.

The Empire would always give up far more, for as long as the Thalmor ruled the Dominion, for the Thalmor desire nothing less than the fall of the Empire and all it stands for.  
What then, should the Empire have done?  
The Empire would have been best off finding alliances with other lands, the Argonians, for example, or the Dunmer. The Argonians have oft proved themselves to be great fighters, and the Telvanni battlemages can equal the Altmer in destruction magic, if not exceed them.

The Altmer are not indefeatable, as Hammerfell's resistance has proven, and the Empire should not have allowed itself to fall so, by allowing Thalmor Justiciars to exercise violence, torture and murder with impunity, it has only shown itself to be weak, in the eyes of the Thalmor, and in the eyes of its subjects.  
No empire can afford to be seen as weak in the eyes of the groups it rules. While a nation can be ruled easily through use of soldiers and other armed forces even when faith is lost in the central government, an empire is too far-reaching for any force to cover all of it. It is why Cyrodiil allows governing systems like the Houses in Morrowind or the High King and Jarls in Skyrim to exist even when direct subjugation might be more favourable. A populace used to living in freedom under their own rule will fight against any infringement of that, so any invader is best served keeping those institutions intact but under their thumb.  
This is why the Thalmor demand to allow justicars in all corners of the empire is so subversive; it served as a constant reminder to the Nords that they did not have full control over their lands.  
They did not have control before, true, but it was the sight of High Elves everywhere, in foreign armor speaking foreign tongues, that reminded them of this fact, that riled them up every time they crossed one on the road.

I myself, have experience with this. During my quest to slay Alduin, it was necessary to infiltrate the Aldmeri Embassy in Skyrim to find documents pertaining to a member of the Blades, and, ever since that event, I have been occasionally beset upon by Thalmor extermination squads, often with a death warrant signed by Elenwen herself.  
I would also like to note that it was very soon after this that the Dark Brotherhood started sending assassins after me, but I have no conclusive evidence that this is the Thalmor's doing.

I chose to fight for the Empire despite these facts because, while the Empire was faulty, the Stormcloaks were a lost cause entirely, as far as ruling a country goes.  
To see this clearly, one need only look at the utter disaster that was the city they ruled; Dunmer confined to the Grey Quarter, Argonians confined to but a single house outside the city limits, and a Jarl who approves of it all.

A charming Nord, Rolff Stone-Fist I believe was his name, had the rather intriguing habit of heading out to the Grey Quarter at night, often drunk, and 'telling those bloody grey-skins' what he thought of them, in what weren't the kindest of terms.  
Now, many of you may wonder why the guards didn't put a stop to this; this clear breech of the peace. The answer is simple. There were no guards in the Grey Quarter. None.  
But you can bet they came running when I stopped Rolff from assaulting some poor Dunmeri lass, in his favour of course.

This then, was part of my problem with them, their 'Skyrim belongs to the Nords' ideology.

Another was the fact that I simply could not stand Ulfric Stormcloak. His personality and lack of honour simply made it impossible for me to spend long stretches of time near him, and his shortsightedness made it impossible for me to see him as a viable candidate for High King.

I speak of a lack of honour, for when he learned to control the Voice from the Greybeards he swore an oath to them, to use it solely to honour the gods, as the Way of the Voice instructs. His use of it against Torygg is a flagrant breaking of that oath, and therefore, to me, despicable. I would like to point out, before anyone asks why I had no compunctions using the Voice as a weapon, my gift comes from Akatosh for my power comes from being Dragonborn.  
The Greybeards', and by extension Ulfric's, comes from an entirely different Divine, Kynareth. They are, in effect, two different things.

I speak of an unlikable personality, in that one of his many sayings was 'If he's not with us, he's against us.'. This is, in my view, a way to justify attacking any who refuse to take up arms with you, even if they do not take up arms against you.  
And his shortsightedness was in his not seeing the fact that all he did was essentially playing into the Thalmor's hands, as I have discussed in an earlier volume.  
These are all, to me, things that at the very least strongly imply an ineptitude at ruling, for a ruler must be fair, able to see the value of peace, and able to see both the causes and consequences of his actions, and to whom those consequences are advantageous.

 _\- From the Journals of the Dragonborn, Volume twelve._

* * *

 _On Daedra._

The most important misconception about Daedra is that they are inherently evil, a stereotype brought about in large part by Molag Bal and Mehrunes Dagon, when they attempted to invade Tamriel.  
This is not true. Some have desires and natures that we consider evil; the aforementioned Daedric Princes, to name but two, but they are not all evil.

While when one says 'Daedra' they generally think of the Deadric Princes, the most powerful amongst the Daedra, there are many more, as any Conjuration Mage of note would tell you. Atronachs for example, oft summoned as protectors or attackers, are Daedra of a lower order.

Some Daedra have done almost nothing but aid us, as mortals, through limiting the harm that others would do unto us.  
Barbas, for example, the canine companion of Clavicus Vile (Prince of Power and Tempting Pacts), works tirelessly to limit the amount of damage Clavicus does in his pacts with mortals.

Azura too, a Prince greatly revered amongst Dunmer, is a kinder Daedroth. I say 'kinder', because no Daedroth is truly kind by nature, but some are more reasonable or fair than others.  
She works closely with Akatosh, the Divine of Time, in her sphere of Dusk and Dawn, a fact that will surprise many who believe the Aedra are good and the Daedra bad.  
But no Daedric Prince is wholly evil. I myself have had encounters with many, for it was necessary for me to acquire objects of power in my quest to vanquish Alduin.

In all honesty, and against popular opinion, it is my belief that Hermaeus Mora is the worst amongst the Princes.

While most Princes are content within their plane of Oblivion, being served by the lesser Daedra that call it their home, Hermaeus constantly lures others into his realm, mortals, to serve him. Also, in my contact with him, he killed a man for the sole purpose of gaining knowledge; a truly unnecessary evil, for surely the Daedric Prince of knowledge could obtain it peacefully?

Other Princes lure mortals to their realm, Hircine, to name one of them, but those mortals go entirely willingly, many enjoying the Hunt for all eternity.

But though I find Hermaeus Mora the most distasteful amongst Princes, there are, or is, one I find worse. The Ideal Masters.  
Unknown to most outside the necromantic circles, they rule their plane of Oblivion, the Soul Cairn, a dark, lifeless place, and trap those desiring power within. Humans, Elves, Vampire and even Dragons are fair game, being tricked into eternal service to them. Nobody is quite sure what their physical form is, or even if they need one, but that is a discussion for another time, if I ever write of it at all. There are, after all, those who have spent decades, even centuries, studying necromancy, where I have spent next to no time studying the subject; and all my knowledge is second hand and from a short trip through the Soul Cairn.  
Necromancers will occasionally attempt to bargain with these Masters, exchanging souls for power, though all are eventually lured to exchange their own soul for power, and are kept there forever.

But to speak of Daedra is to speak of what makes them different from Aedra, and to speak of that properly we must go back to the creation of Nirn.

It was Lorkhan who either tricked or convinced the other Aedra into creating Nirn, and Magnus who orchestrated the design. What the Aedra were not told was the amount of power it would take to create Nirn. It was at the point that they discovered this that they left, returning to their planes, the planets.  
The Sun and stars we see were created by Magnus and the Magna-ge, as they ripped their way from Nirn and left holes in creation on their way out.

Each Star is a hole in Nirn, opening us up to Aetherius, the realm of magic, and it is from there that Magicka in our world comes.

Aedra are those who, if you ask the Elves, procreated to create lesser spirits, which they descend from, and if you ask Men created them. It is therefrom that the term 'Aedra' comes, 'Our Ancestors' in old Aldmeris.

Daedra are those who stayed within Nirn, creating their own pocket worlds in Oblivion, who did not contribute to the creation of life, and are therefore 'not our ancestors', Daedra.

The reason Men see Daedra as bad and Aedra as good is the fact that Men often dislike change, and Daedra are, if nothing else, forces of change, where Aedra are forces of Stasis, constants. Time, Love, Work, Wisdom, all these are constant forces in the life of Mortals.  
Intelligence changes, Dusk and Dawn change between one another, and Revolution speaks for itself.

Man fears change, for change is the unknown. It is the space under the bed, the shadow in the corner, the sound you hear but can't quite place. There is no true justification for it, for Molag Bal and Mehrunes Dagon were feared long before they attacked, but it is simply there.  
Constancy, or Stasis, is the blanket at night, or the familiar dripping of water. A sensation you feel comfortable with, that you know and understand.  
And that is why Aedra are oft revered, while Daedra are most always feared.

 _\- From the Journals of the Dragonborn, Volume thirteen._

* * *

 _On Miraak._

Miraak was amongst the First Dragonborn. Thousands of years ago, when Dragons still ruled over Man, he was amongst those 'Dragon Priests' that worshipped them. He was unique though, in two ways.

The first was that he was Dragonborn, and the second was that he went against the Dragons, eventually. He rebelled against their rule, with the aid of Hermaeus Mora, and attempted to overthrow them.  
This did not go well for him. At all.

The Dragons burned his Temple to the ground, razing all that was not hidden beneath the earth entirely, and almost killed him.  
I say almost, because just before he died, he was swept away by Hermaeus Mora, and taken to live within Apocrypha, Hermaeus' realm of Oblivion, to await his return.  
Hermaeus took him as his servant, his slave. He taught Miraak forbidden and forgotten knowledge.

Towards the end of the year 201 of the fourth era Miraak returned to Nirn. He came to Sovngarde, where once he ruled as though he was a king. He controlled villagers to create spireas

A large part of Miraak's power came through a Dragon Shout, Bend Will, which was, and is, so powerful that it can force even the most berserk fighter to calm, the most frightened animal to stay still, and even some of the most powerful dragons to allow you to ride them, as though they were mere horses.

This power came at a price of course; he gained it from a Daedric Prince, and they very rarely simply give things away. He became Hermaeus' instrument on Nirn.

I eventually travelled to Apocrypha and killed him, having learned the Bend Will Shout from Hermaeus myself. I worry to this day that all my deals with the Daedra will catch up with me, but that day has not come yet. Hermaeus, it seemed, had discovered Miraak planned to rise against him, a discovery that granted me far more support from Hermaeus than Miraak was given.

Here we see another example of Hermaeus Mora's cruelty; a servant who had been loyal for thousands of years, put down at the first thought of rebellion.

 _\- From the Journals of the Dragonborn, Volume fourteen._

* * *

 _On Draugr, and other Undead._

Draugr, the bane of many a would-be treasure seeker, who guard the crypts within which they have been buried. Overwhelming popular opinion is that undead are evil; they attack on sight, do they not?

But popular opinion is not always correct. I believe that Draugr, and indeed many undead, do not often wish to do what it is they do. A necromancer's thrall has on more than one occasion said 'thank you' or something pertaining to being free once more after attempting to kill me, and failing.

Popular opinion on Draugr is that they had served the Dragons in life, and were cursed with undeath as a punishment. This has always rung false to me; why punish an enemy by allowing him to fight you forever? I believe that Draugr are as much of a thrall as a necromancer's resurrection. A spirit present in a body, but not in control of it.

What pushed me to this conclusion is what Draugr say as they fight. Most only note 'Draconic battle cries', but if we look at their translations they seem to be either Nordic battle cries or apologies, translated to Draconic. "Sovngarde Awaits!" for example, sounds more Nordic than Draconic.

It seems to me that, as with thralls, some retain their part of their own mind, but not control of their body, and the rest retain neither. Some Draugr can be heard saying "Unslaad Krosis." over and over again as they go to battle, Draconic for 'eternal sorrow', the equivalent to a heartfelt apology, insofar as Draconic has one.

I can not tell you with certainty why it is that Draugr speak Draconic; the fact that I ran into some in a poor man's family crypt that was being used as a necromancer's lair argues against it having anything to do with serving Dragons, but while some crypts hold a strong connection to Dragons, holding either a Word Wall or a Dragon priest, many more do not, and yet hold Draugr despite that fact.

The most logical sounding conclusion that I have been able to think of is this: the raising of Draugr is a form of Draconic magic, rather than necromancy. Similar in use to necromancy, and similar in effects, but different in roots and working. Tamrielic necromancy leaves those with the mental capacity to do so apologising in Tamrielic, which I believe is the root of this branch of magic, rather than it being Elven in origin.

Conversation with Durnevihr, the Dragon of the Soul Cairn and one of very few Dragons to have mastered a form of necromancy, lead me to believe that necromancy is originally an Atmoran form of worship, by which spirits would be called to give final goodbyes. The reason for the mind being lost on occasion is, I therefore surmise, a result of the perversion of this religious ritual in order to guarantee the raised body would do battle for it's reanimator.

 _\- From the Journals of the Dragonborn, Volume fifteen._

* * *

This is all that I have thus far discovered in a legible state; other books have either crumbled, burned, or faded away to a point where only a few words can we recognised. I could attempt to translate those and from there conclude the general idea, but I fear to so distort the original message that it would go against every oath of honesty I swore when I became a translator.

There are some errors that I have noted already in this, though I do not know whether this is because those were the most accurate or accepted answers at the time, or because the Dragonborn was, first and foremost, an adventurer, rather than a scholar.

It is interesting to note that these journals mention a previous Altmeri Dominion ruled by the Thalmor, as our own records state that the regime in charge at the time of the Stormcloak Interregnum was the first Thalmor regime. Perhaps we have lost records pertaining to the first two Dominions?

 _Signed, Maros Dyrenus, Master Historian at the Grand Library of Iretius, in the year 519 of the fifth era._

 **Authors Note:** After having had a lovely review stating that (s)he wished that this was an official part of Tamriel lore, so that (s)he could cite it, I felt that it would be best to state very clearly that a large part of this is (almost the entirety of the part on Undead really)made up of musings on my part, and should probably not be taken without a grain of salt. The more factual parts are as correct as I could make them, though there may still be mistakes in there, hence Maros Dyrenus' note about mistakes possibly having been accepted answers at the time and that the Dragonborn wasn't a scholar, but an adventurer.


	2. Magic

_On Magic._

Magic. To some, a mystical force wielded by far away wizards, to others, a tool, and to yet others, an out of reach power that could solve all their problems.

The origin of Magic is Aetherius, the realm of the Divines. That is the realm of magic, and it is from there that magic on Nirn comes.

Magic travels from Aetherius to Nirn through what we see as the sun and stars Those are, in reality, holes in Nirn, the sun created by Magnus himself, God of Magic and architect of Nirn, and the stars by the Magna-ke, Magnus' helpers.

This is the origin of Magic in general, and it exists within every living thing in Nirn; plants, Men, Elves and Beastfolk. Mages and warlocks are those more adept at the channeling and controlling of magicka in their bodies. Any can become a Mage, though Elves, specifically High- and Dark Elves have an easier time of it. Should you choose to believe them, this is because they are direct descendants of the Aedra, and therefore more attuned to the realms of magic, but I shall leave theological debates aside.

It takes many forms, as many as there are Mages, in fact. While many Mages cast the same spells, each channels their magic in a way unique to them. We have, in our time, divided magic into six schools; Alteration, Illusion, Conjuration, Destruction, Restoration and Enchanting.

Alteration concerns the manipulation of objects; making them what they could have been. Alteration magic can make one have skin as hard as ebony, weigh as little as a feather, or even walk on or breath under water. Telekinesis too, falls under this school, allowing Mages to move and manipulate objects outside their reach with their magic.  
The difficulty in these spells depends upon two things: the first being the magnitude that one desires to change an object; it is far easier to harden something already tough than something weak and malleable. The second is the knowledge a caster has of an object, how well it knows it. Changing one's own body is relatively simple, as you know it well, you are, at the very least subconsciously, aware of its workings and size. Changing something else in any way more serious than changing its colour would require an in-depth knowledge extremely difficult to acquire within a single lifespan.

Illusion concerns the manipulation of a human's mind, in ways both benign and malignant. Popular examples of this are Calm, Fear and Frenzy spells; used on an opponent to stop him from fighting, make him flee, or make him turn on his comrades. These are relatively simple, as they are targeted spells on a single person.  
In stark contrast, Invisibility requires the caster to channel his magic into manipulating any minds that perceive him into believing there is nothing to be seen. This is difficult because, due to the lack of any specific targets, the magic must constantly search for any that must be manipulated, and doubly so because it needs to manipulate any number of minds.  
Paralyse, too, is a most challenging spell, since, while it is a targeted spell on one person, it must manipulate a large part of the mind; all that is connected to touch and motion. To cast this spell on multiple people is almost impossible, and I have only ever met but one person capable of paralysing over one opponent at a time; and he was at the time under the influence of an extremely powerful magical object.

Conjuration. Often seen as the darkest of the schools of magic due to its connection to Necromancy, which is either feared or downright hated by most, and its connections to Oblivion, which is also both feared and downright hated by most, often with good reason.  
It concerns the summoning of creatures of Oblivion to do the caster's bidding, Atronachs being the most popular amongst them.  
It takes more power to summon and command more powerful creatures, and a lot more power to command multiple creatures. There are a great many that believe Necromancy to be a part of this school of magic, though it is my personal belief that Necromancy belongs in the Restoration school, even if that goes against popular opinion.

Destruction, often seen as the most powerful and useful of the schools. It is almost certainly the most flashy and impressive looking; the image of a robed figure throwing fireballs, ice storms and more is an intimidating sight to be sure! It concerns the creation of forces of destruction, Fire, Frost and Storm.  
Fire is used by Mages aiming to put down targets quickly, being the most damaging of the three elements.  
Frost is used to slow down an opponent. Giving the Mage the opportunity to run or simply freeze their opponent to death.  
Shock is most useful for Mages fighting other Mages, as, for reasons as of yet unknown, it drains the body of Magicka. The difficulty of a spell depends on both it's power and it's area of effect, though shock spells tend to cost more power than frost spells, which cost more than fire spells.

Restoration, seen as the most benign of the schools, thought to produce healers and little else. It is said that its sphere is life and death, though it seems that the current categorisation is simply whether it is 'good' or not. Warding spells are counted as restoration, even though they would seem more suited to either the Alteration or Conjuration schools, and Necromancy is clearly in the sphere of death, though it is counted under Conjuration.  
Restoration is, in my opinion, the most useful of all the Magic schools. It has saved my life far more times than I can count, and a great many other people have been helped by it.  
The deciding factors in difficulty are, once more, magnitude and area of effect. Taking as my example healing spells, as those are the most recognised, a spell to heal yourself slowly can be cast by almost any adventurer after reading but a single book on its theory, but a spell that will instantly almost fully heal any within a certain radius of the caster is only within the reach of the most experienced of Mages. This is because an area of effect based healing spell must seek out injured people, where one cast on oneself can devote itself fully to healing.

And finally, Enchanting, often neglected when speaking of magic since it does not involve the casting of spells, it has saved my life almost as often as Restoration. An enchanted weapon can make the difference between life and death, an enchanted cuirass might save you from a fireball, an enchanted shield could stop a dragon's claw! The possibilities are almost endless. This magic is questionable though, due to the need for souls to enchant objects, which brings with it the need for death.  
An interesting fact is that while enchanting can be learned from reading, the enchantments themselves can not be passed from person to person easily. In order to learn an enchantment the would-be enchanter has to unravel that same enchantment, either a weaker or stronger variant, depending on his or her own skill, on another object, which destroys the object in question. This makes enchantment one of the more difficult schools to become a master in; while a master of Destruction need only seek out books, someone seeking to truly master Enchanting must familiarise himself with hundreds of different enchantments, often at great cost, as most enchanted items are several times more expensive than their more mundane counterparts.

Next, the reason that a Mage can find himself utterly unable to cast another spell one moment, but given some time to rest can cast as many spells as before. It is my belief that the Magicka reserves inherently within every living being are constantly refilled by the magic present within our surroundings, and that the reason an experienced Mage is able to cast for far longer periods of time than a novice is because their reserves grow. I have not been able to test this theory, as it would require a space without magic, which simply does not exist within Nirn.

And finally, the reason that an inexperienced Conjurer, no matter what his Magicka reserves are, will be unable to conjure and bind more than one creature at a time. I believe that the Magicka within each of us is at least semi-sentient, and will not allow us to conjure a creature we can not control. An experienced Conjurer will be used to subjugating a summoned Daedroth to his or her will, and it will require little effort, whereas a novice must still focus on controlling the one conjuration. My theory of Magicka being unwilling to harm it's caster is lent further credit by the fact the an area of effect Destruction spell cast at a caster's feet will only harm those surrounding him or her, leaving even the caster's robes untouched.

 _\- From the Journals of the Dragonborn, Volume sixteen._

 **Author's note:** the previous chapter was made up of the backed up musings I'd written over the course of a few weeks, as I have only recently been coerced into uploading what I write by a friend of mine. If you'd prefer I waited until I had a few more ready (three or four perhaps) before uploading them, drop a review saying that. Speaking of which, if anyone has a topic they'd like me to write about, just tell me and I'll try, unless I have either absolutely no idea what it is or nothing of value to say about it.


	3. The Khajiit

_On the Khajiit._

The Catfolk from Elsweyr. Their feline grace makes them skilled at sneaking, while their claws make them almost unmatched in hand to hand combat.

This, amongst other things, has earned them quite a reputation in Skyrim, and indeed much of Tamriel. Khajiit, when falling on hard times, have an easy time of turning to theft, and it is for this reason that many distrust them, believing them to be thieves and pickpockets.

Another thing that has earned them distrust is the infamous reputation of Elsweyr earned through the production of Moonsugar, and its subsequent refinery into Skooma, an addictive drug.  
An interesting side note on the drug; while many believe that once addicted, it is impossible to lose the urge, the desire to take more, simply because that is what the Khajiit say, and if the Khajiit do not know Skooma, who do?

But there has been at least one documented occasion of a Skooma addict 'curing' herself of the dependence, the story of which she has written in "Confessions of a Dunmer Skooma-eater."  
In this book, Tilse Sendas explains how to recognise the dependence and either deny or accept it, and through that cure or choose not to cure oneself.  
But of course, should one which to read that book, one should pick up that book rather than this one.

In Skyrim today, Khajiit are not often allowed within city walls, and the caravans are forced to pitch tents outside the city to ply their trade. I would like to note though, that the prejudice against them is not entirely senseless.  
I myself have spoken to a caravan merchant, who vilified the Nordic locals for suspecting all Khajiit of dealing Skooma one moment, and attempted to sell me Skooma the next!

But now, moving on to facts.  
The Khajiiti culture revolves strongly around the two moons, Masser and Secunda, and their lives are plotted around it. The two currently existing tribes, the Anequina and the Pellitines, trade rulership of the land depending upon the stance of Masser and Secunda, as the Mane decreed.  
The Khajiit have existed in Tamriel since long before our records tell, indeed, their lands were the most peaceful and internally co-operative of all in the early days of the First Era, each of the sixteen to twenty tribes specialised in a different field, and knowledge and expertise was traded quite freely amongst them.

This balance was, rather tragically, destroyed by the Thrassian Plague in the year 2260 of the First Era, which was sent by the Sload of Thras, an island west of Tamriel.  
Tamriel exacted swift vengeance upon the Sload, and an army was brought together and slaughter brought to the islands, after which 'great unknown magics' were used to sink their kingdoms. It took them many years to recover, and they have never again attempted such an assault upon Tamriel.

Due to the Plague, almost half of the people in Tamriel (by some accounts), died. This left kingdoms and cultures in disarray, and the Khajiit were no exception to this.  
It was centuries later that Elsweyr came to be in its current state, with the two kingdoms of Anequina and Pellitine, though both obey the will of the Mane, who is, for all intents and purposes the greatest power on earth to them. There is no disobeying the will of the Mane. He and his followers reside in Torval, living in great homes of wood chopped in Valenwood, and exceedingly valuable material, as Bosmeri religion practices forbid the felling of trees in Valenwood.

The two Khajiiti kingdoms are greatly culturally opposed; the Pellitines being a nomadic people and the Anequina being city dwellers. There is no love lost between the two, the Anequina think the Pellitines decadent and lazy, the Pellitines think the Anequina barbarians.

 _The different forms of Khajiit._  
The form a Khajiit has when he is grown depends upon the stance of the moons at the time of his birth.  
These forms range from almost entirely human-like, to small housecats, to tiger-like creatures the size of two Altmer and the weight of fifty!

It is through the stance of the moons too that the Mane, the king, the ruler is chosen. When the Mane is born, the two moons stand perfectly aligned in the sky, leaving a seeming 'third moon'.  
While known for their grace, rather than their battle-prowess, that too is not inconsiderable. In their battles with the Bosmer especially they used exceedingly well thought-out tactics.

First they chopped wood from Valenwood, knowing this would lead to warriors being sent to stop them. This would lead to smaller, separate forces of opponents, rather than one larger army. When Bosmeri archers shot arrows at the tree-tellers from the branches, they took cover. They hid under barricades, and when warriors came down to engage them sword to claw, hidden Khajiit surprised them!

The arches in the trees would have won the day, but smaller, lighter Khajiit hidden in the trees above the Bosmer distracted them.

This tactic lead to roughly fifty Khajiit defeating an entire company of Bosmer, with only half a dozen casualties. Due to the delay in reporting the exact manner of the defeat, this tactic was repeated once more before the Khajiit were driven from the woods.

The Khajiiti religion is similar to the Imperial pantheon and Daedric Princes, though the names differ slightly, one will hear of Alkosh rather than Akatosh, and Merrunz rather than Mehrunes Dagon.  
Amusingly enough, Mehrunes Dagon's domain of Destruction is here depicted as him being but a kitten, with the senseless urge to destroy.

There are some additions, one being the mortal thief Rahjin whose infamy reached such levels as to deify him after death. June and Jode, big moon and little moon god, or Masser and Secunda, are revered differently by each Khajiit depending upon the time of their birth.  
Khajiiti culture is greatly dependant upon the moons, and therefore Lorkhan, for popular Khajiit belief is that the moons are two halves of Lorkhan's body.

When around the ninety eighth year of the fourth era the moons disappeared from the sky, it caused great panic amongst the Khajiit. Understandable, if the cornerstone of your society disappears overnight, in a manner of speaking, one is like to worry.

But two years later, the moons reappeared! The Thalmor were very quick to claim credit, and the Khajiit were prepared to believe it, and hailed the Thalmor as their saviour. When in the year one hundred and fifteen of the fourth era the Thalmor staged a coup, the Khajiit helped them, toppling the Imperial government in Elsweyr and installing the kingdoms of Pellitine and Anequina as client kingdoms of the Thalmor. And so they are to this day.

 _\- From the Journals of the Dragonborn, Volume seventeen._

 **Authors note**

This chapter was written for a reviewer who asked for Khajiit, so here is Khajiit! Once more, if there's any particular topic you'd like to see, just tell me and I'll try to do that next.


	4. Daedric Princes

_On the Daedric Princes._

The Daedric Princes, the fifteen most powerful Daedra in existence. Each rules their own plane of Oblivion, each has their own spheres of power.

As stated in a previous volume **(- this is Volume thirteen in my translation -)** Daedra are forces of change, and this is why Men especially hate them so, for change is in the passing of time, and in the passing of time comes the end of their lives, lines and legacies.

The worshippers of the Daedric Princes are many and varied. Some worship the Daedra as Men worship Aedra, a prayer now and then and a shrine in their honour. Others though, take their faith far more seriously, involving human sacrifice, fights to the death before their chosen Prince's shrine and more.  
To clarify, the word 'Prince' is not used in the sense of the son of a king, for that would make the Daedra male, while they have no gender, and also insinuate the existence of a King, a power ruling over the Daedra. It is used in the sense of the ancient Cyrodiliic word 'Princeps', first, as in, the first amongst Daedra.

The fifteen Daedric Princes are, in no particular order, Molag Bal, Meridia, Mehrunes Dagon, Hermaeus-Mora, Azura, Namira, Boethiah, Mephala, Hircine, Peryite, Clavicus Vile, Nocturnal, Vaermina, Sheogorath and Sanguine.

Molag Bal is the Lord of Domination, the creator of Vampires and the King of Coldharbour. He is also known as the King of Rape, as he was the first to commit the heinous crime, and in doing so created the first Vampire.  
He is considered to be extremely evil, and attempted to invade Tamriel in the second era.  
His Artifact is the Mace of Molag Bal, also known as the Vampire mace. It seems that its powers change throughout time, sometimes being vampiric in effect, stealing life force, and other times stealing energy.

Meridia is considered to be one of the kinder Princes, bringer of the light of Dawn and strong opposer to all undead. Her Artifact is Dawnbreaker, a blade with the ability to light those it strikes on fire and, in the case of undead, cause them to explode in a fiery ball of flame.  
She is close to Azura, the Prince of Dusk and Dawn.

Mehrunes Dagon is another of the Daedric Princes considered evil. He is the Prince of Revolution, and attempted to invade Tamriel at the end of the third era, causing the Oblivion Crisis.  
His Artifact is a dagger with a chance of instantly slaying any living creature. This is both the most useful and least useful of Artifacts. It can allow its wielder to slay a giant with one slash, but it may also desert you when you most need it.

Hermaeus Mora is the Daedric Prince of Fate and Forbidden knowledge, who rules the infinite library of Apocrypha. The form he takes most is a fearsome mass of tentacles and eyes, and his Artifacts are books. The Oghma Infinium is the most powerful of them, allowing the reader to become far more skilled in either Magic, Stealth or Fighting. His other Artifacts are Black Books, which, when read, take one to the realm of Apocrypha.  
It is a hellish realm, filled with accursed souls in the form of Seekers. Should one succeed in finding the Black Book in Apocrypha (s)he is rewarded with an exceedingly useful skill, depending on which Black Book was read. This ranges from the strengthening of your spells or strikes, to making your strikes and spells harmless to those not seeking to harm you.

Azura, the Prince of Dusk and Dawn, who turned Chimer to Dunmer. She too is one of the more benign of the Princes.  
Her Artifact is Azura's Star, a great boon to any enchanter. It is the only soul gem capable of being reused.

Namira is the Prince of the Revolting. Her sphere is anything considered to be repulsing to most, slugs, cannibalism and so on. She is neither particularly malignant nor benign. One could even argue for her kindness in sheltering and caring for those that are repulsing to others, but considering they are cannibals, there may be an argument for them being truly repulsive.  
Her Artifact is Namira's Ring, a ring that grants more endurance to its wearer, and should the wearer feast on human flesh, will grant him more vitality and increased healing.

Boethiah, the Devourer of Trinimac and Prince of Plots. She is considered evil for her spheres of power, and her priests and priestesses are amongst the more bloodthirsty. The way to summon her is to bind one who trusts you and slay him or her on you shrine.  
Her Artifact is the Ebony Mail, a powerful cuirass that poisons those that stray too close and shrouds the bearer in shadows if (s)he desires it.

Mephala is the Prince of Lies, Deceptions and Whispers. She too, is considered evil, and her dealings with mortals often involve treason and betrayal amongst trusted friends.  
Her Artifact is the Ebony Blade, a sword that can leech the life force of an enemy, provided it is charged. It is charged by its wielder slaying one who trusts him or her.

Hircine is the Prince of the Hunt and the Manbeasts, the creator of Werebeasts and their God. He is the leader of the Wild Hunt, and when a Werebeast dies (s)he joins him in it.  
His Artifacts are Hircine's ring, which will randomly turn the wearer into a Werewolf should the wearer not be one. If the wearer is one, it grants increased control over the changes.  
His other Artifact is the Savior's Hide, a cuirass that grants great resistance against magical forces.

Peryite is the Prince of Pestilance, also known as the Taskmaster. He is considered the weakest of the Princes, though his Artifact is amongst the strongest.  
His Artifact is Spellbreaker, a Dwemer shield in appearance that can negate spells and even Dragon's Breath.

Clavicus Vile is the Prince of Pacts and Power. His dealings with Mortals often involve making pacts and deals, and then fulfilling them in a way most detrimental to the Mortal. This involves the killing of those wishing for a cure for disease, or an attempt at killing absolutely every single person in a Province to end a civil war.  
He is different from the other Princes in that he has a counterpart, a companion, who attempts to curb his more destructive tendencies.  
Barbas is arguably one of the greatest daedra in existence; he tirelessly works to limit Clavicus' urges and warns away those who do not understand what they're getting into.  
His most powerful Artifact is the Masque of Clavicus Vile, which makes one more respected and loved.

Nocturnal is the Prince of Shadows and Queen of Murk. She controls the luck of thieves. Her most important followers are the Nightingales, three powerful thieves that protect her temple. Her Artifacts are the Grey Cowl of Nocturnal, which disguises the wearer perfectly, and the Skeleton Key, an unbreakable lockpick, which allows even the most inexperienced of thieves to open any lock, given time.

Vaermina is the Prince of Nightmares. This makes her a rather unpopular Daedroth. It is said that when one has a nightmare, he or she is actually brought to her realm of Oblivion.  
Her Artifact is the Skull of Corruption, a staff that can harvest the dreams of sleeping Mortals to become more powerful.

Sheogorath is the Prince of Madness and Delusion. His realm is divided into two parts; Mania and Dementia, representing the two sides of madness. Mania is happy delusions, vivid colours, cheerful inhabitants and more, while Dementia is the darker side, paranoia, strife, rage. "The Mad" are divided into many different groups, named in _The Blessings of Sheogorath_ , being the Madmen, Phobic, Obsessed, Addicts, Murderous, Firelovers, Artists, Musicians, Sleepless, Paranoid, Visionaries and Painlovers. Each of these is in some way 'blessed' by the Madgod.  
Sheogorath was not always what he now is, once he was Jyggalag, Prince of Order, most powerful of the Princes. But out of fear, the others cursed him, changing his personality to what it now is. Once an era, during what was known as the Greymarch, Jyggalag would attempt to take over the Shivering Isles (Mania and Dementia). This cycle was ended around the end of the third era by the Hero of K'vatch and Champion of Cyrodiil, who in lifting this curse took it upon himself, becoming the Mad God. This means that the Sheogorath we see today is the youngest of the Princes, being but slightly over two centuries of age. Younger than many Vampires and Elves, might I add. The Madgod's Artifact is the Wabbajack, a staff that is entirely random in effect. An attacking wolf may be turned to a rabbit, a rabbit may be turned to a carriage. There is no method whatsoever to it, and it has been known to drive its wielders insane due to that fact (see the book _Wabbajack_ for an example).

Sanguine is the Daedric Prince of Dark Indulgences, and is therefore rather popular. He is quite benign, and can often be found in taverns challenging people to drinking matches. I was once involved in one of these, and found myself waking up in a ransacked temple, having run all the way across Skyrim, accidentally married a Hagraven and in some way utterly annihilated a coven of Vampires. None of which I could remember, though I'm sure I enjoyed it at the time.  
His Artifact is the Sanguine Rose, a powerful staff which allows its wielder to summon a powerful Daedroth to fight for him or her.

And finally, as with the Aedra, he deserves mention here.  
Mauloch, Malacath, Prince of the Spurned and Ostracised, not truly a Prince, but not truly a Divine either. His followers are the Orsimer.  
While he does not truly have an Artifact, he has strong connections to the Hammer of Might, Volendrung, long ago created by the Dwemer.

In any dealings with Daedra, it is most important to remember how insignificant to them you are. They have been around for millennia longer than you, and have seen thousands just like you. You are, to them, a completely replaceable plaything, and your life means nothing to them.

To successfully deal with Daedra you need to know what motivates them, what drives them. How to appease them and how to impress them. This varies greatly between Princes, but here are some tips that I would have found useful, had they been given to me before I met the Daedroth in question.  
Meridia hates the undead greatly, and seeks to have them eradicated entirely. Do not, at any time, reanimate a corpse in her presence or while doing something for her. In any conversation with her it is in your best interest to act subservient.  
Nocturnal requires strength of will, so it is not useful to prostrate yourself before her. Throwing yourself on the ground is likely to earn you nothing but disdain.  
Boethiah is all about desires, and the will to attain them. If you ever have need of dealing with her, be prepared to kill another human to save yourself.  
Malacath demands strength, aggression and honour from his servants. A willingness to fight for what you think is right.  
Mephala... In dealings with Mephala you are like to be asked to betray one or more of your allies and friends. Her enjoyment comes from tugging at the ties that bind mortals, love, hate, friendship. She enjoys pulling at these binds and seeing when they break.  
Hircine rewards strength and hunting prowess. In dealings with Hircine it is likely that many people compete to be the one to kill a beast, and the killer is then rewarded. There are, of course, no rules against killing your opponents while hunting.  
In dealings with Sheogorath, beware the mood swings of the Madgod, and don't become overly panicked at the first mention of ripping out (your) entrails and skipping with them, as he is unlikely to do so if you distract him.  
When dealing with Clavicus Vile, the best thing to do is stop. Clavicus Vile is likely to either twist your words to suit him or end the deal at a time most unsuitable to you. There are very, very few people who have made deals with the Prince of Power and come off better for it.  
And when dealing with Hermaeus Mora, that applies even more. No matter what you do for him, no matter how long or loyally you serve him, you're a replaceable asset to him, and your free will is nothing but a nuisance. His desire is to have you eternally serve in Apocrypha. There is little more that he wants from you.

 _\- From the Journals of the Dragonborn, Volume eighteen._

It seems odd for the time that the Dragonborn so readily admits to dealings with the Daedra, which, this and other writings clearly state, was taboo at the time. I can only speculate that either the Dragonborn was a special case, or that he never actually planned for these to be read.  
Of course, the Dragonborn was to fight Alduin the World Eater. I cannot imagine the people being unwilling to grant the saviour of existence at least some leeway.

 **Authors Note:** I would just like to thank everyone who read this, and especially those who reviewed/favourited/private messaged! Once more, should you have any particular topic idea, I'm open to most things. One thing that i most certainly will not be doing a chapter on will be the Amaranth (the next Godhead, in essence, if you remember Volume 3), since that's a topic that dozens of people have spent over six months studying/debating/arguing, and I would only end up confusing everyone (including myself) more.  
 **Author's Note update:** Thank you very much Dragon Kaiju Prince for pointing out the fact that I entirely skipped over Sheogorath. I've added him in now, and thank you for your further suggestions for chapters as well!


	5. The Divines

_On the Divines._

Aedra, 'Our Ancestors' in old Aldmeris, and Altmer still believe them to be their ancestors. This is the greatest difference between Man and Mer; one believes he is the Gods' creation, the other believes he is the Gods' relation. Altmer do agree that Man was created though which has lead to many of the feelings of superiority amongst them.

The Divines, worshipped almost universally amongst Men, and worshipped to a lesser extent amongst Elves. Akatosh, Mara, Dibella, Zenithar, Arkay, Kynareth, Julianos, Stendarr and Talos.

Akatosh, Auriel to the Elves. The God of Time, a the most important of the pantheon. In ancient times he shot the heart of Lorkhan to it's resting place at Red Mountain. The Divine who took an avatar on Nirn in order to defeat Mehrunes Dagon in the Oblivion Crisis.  
He is the Great Dragon, and he is greatly revered amongst both Men and Elves. One of the few Divines to have a recognised Artifact as his; Auriel's Bow. It is a weapon with no equal, when an arrow blessed by a priest of Auriel is fired at the sun from the bow it will cause beams of sunlight to strike any hostile forces around you. It has a darker power too, an arrow cursed with the blood of a true Vampire, turned by Molag Bal himself, will temporarily dull the sun, turning it a dull red rather than the blinding yellow it normally is. This is obviously useful for Vampires, as it allows them to roam free during the day without the burning sensation the sun brings them.

Mara, goddess of Love, considered the most benign of the Divines. Men and women marry under her watchful eye, and it was she who brought love to Nirn. She does not concern herself with love in the sense of lust, but in a more spiritual way, in the joining of souls.

Dibella, by contrast, very much concerns herself with lust. The Goddess of Lust, deity of desire, she is pictured as the most beautiful woman imaginable, and her temples are known to offer 'lessons' in the art of love. Her followers are like to give the Mark of Dibella to those with whom they have lain, though there does exist a form of jealousy within women for those desirable enough to be a follower of desire, and the followers often keep their religious habits secret for fear of being run out of their home.

Zenithar, God of Hard Work and Commerce, revered greatly amongst merchants and salesmen, he has close ties to Kynareth, whose realm is nature, for craftsmen shape and sell her gifts.

Arkay, Divine of the cycle of Life and Death. Bringer of joy and sorrow, beginning and end. To some, the son of Akatosh, to others, a mortal granted divinity by Mara. Whatever the case, his sphere is burial rites, death, and birth. His followers hate necromancy, and see it as blasphemy against Arkay; against the natural order of life and death, rooting it out wherever they find it.  
This is difficult on occasions, since it is not technically illegal in many places, so they have to wait for a necromancer to do something that is illegal before they can crack down with impunity.

Kynareth, the Divine of Wind, Nature and Sky. The outside world is her chapel, the animals within it her wards. She works closely with Zenithar, as his favoured shape the gifts she grants them. She is greatly loved amongst Nords, as it was she who granted them the power of the Thu'um, the Voice, with which the fearless heroes of old cast Alduin forwards in time, to where I have now slain him.

Julianos, Divine of Wisdom and Logic, revered by Mages. His sphere of power overlaps with that of Hermaeus-Mora, who is, amongst other things, the Daedric Prince of Forbidden Knowledge. It is possible to interpret Vivec's sentence "But the Dwemer scornder the Daedra, preferring instead to worship their Gods of Wisdom and Logic." as an indication that the Dwemer revered Julianos, though it is also that Vivec meant that the Dwemer worshipped the concepts of Wisdom and Logic as though they were Gods.

Stendarr, God of Might and Merciful Forbearance. His most enthusiastic followers are the Vigilants of Stendarr, who travel around exterminating anything that could threaten humans, do note that this does also include werewolves and vampires attempting to live peacefully. They hunt Daedra too, and curiously attack anyone in Daedric armour on sight. I say curiously, because in order to create the armour that I had been wearing at the time I had slain six daedra.

Talos. The recently very disputed God of War and Governance, colloquially known as the God of Man, for that is what he was born. Talos of Atmora, become Ysmir, Dragon of the North, become Tiber Septim, Emperor of Tamriel. Fitting that the man who conquered and ruled an Empire would become the God of War and Governance, isn't it? Revered greatly amongst Men, especially the Nords, hated amongst the Thalmor, for keeping them that much further from immortality, for achieving what they could not, for the sheer audacity in a Man becoming a God before an Altmer. The last of his line, the Septims, died ending the Oblivion Crisis just over two hundred years ago.  
Tiber Septim is the Aedra closest to Mortals, most in touch with them. He is the only undisputed mortal-turned Divine, or was for a time, and the only Divine whose line could be traced through the ages to its very end.  
He was or is, depending upon belief, Dragonborn, as I am, as Saint Alessia was.

And last but not least, one who is no longer in truth a Divine, or at least no longer worshipped as one, but one whom I believe to deserve at the very least a mention.  
Trinimac. Once an Aedra more worshipped than Auriel, now a twisted shadow of his former self, Malacath. The defeater of Lorkhan, defeated and devoured by Boethiah. Spurned and ostracised, but not forgotten, I hope.

 _\- From the Journals of the Dragonborn, Volume nineteen._


	6. Talos

_On Talos, Tiber Septim, or Hjalti Earlybeard._

There are few things all agree on concerning Tiber Septim.  
The first is that he was Man, though whether he was Nord or Breton is questioned. The second is that he conquered Tamriel, through war, threats and agreement, and so founded the Third Empire, which lasts to this day. The fourth, and final agreed fact is that he was Dragonborn, as I am.

The more popular, orthodox belief holds that he was born Talos of Atmora. The Greybeards, masters of the Voice, told him he would come to rule all of Tamriel, but he must go south to do so.  
He joined the then-king and later emperor Cuhlecain, and served as General Talos under him.  
He fought in the battle of Sancre Tor, against a force of Bretons and Nords. The Nords, upon seeing his use of the Voice, the Thu'um, saw he was a true son of Skyrim and knelt before him, but the Bretons did not. In the year 854 of the second era, a Bretonic Nightblade attempted to kill him and succeeded in killing the emperor. Though alive, Talos' throat was slit, and he could no longer Shout. He later took the name of Tiber Septim, and took charge of Tamriel. His line continued to the day Martin Septim sacrificed himself to oust Mehrunes Dagon from Tamriel at the end of the Oblivion Crisis.

The other belief, considered Heresy by those holding to the more orthodox way of thought, holds that he was born Hjalti Earlybeard of Alcaire, an island in High Rock. A Breton. Those who believe this theory believe that Wulfarth, an ancient King of the Nords who died at the battle of Red Mountain and desired nothing but the death of the Tribunal, also known as Ysmir Underking, helped Hjalti during a battle taking place at Old Hrol'dan, taking the form of a storm and protecting him from arrows as he shouted down the walls. It is this, they believe, that earned him the name Talos, Stormcrown in old Ehlnofex. With these allies, Ysmir Underking and Cuhlecain, he takes the eastern lands of Cyrodiil in under a year, and march east.

The Dunmeri Battlemages surrender before them, and they take the Citadel. Cuhlecain was set to become emperor, but before he was officially crowned, Hjalti had him assassinated, and slit his own throat to rule himself out as a suspect. He then blamed enemies of the late king, and was crowned emperor himself by Zurin Arctus, the Grand Battlemage. He sends Ysmir to take Skyrim for him, but to make sure it did not seem he (Hjalti) was in two places at once, Ysmir had to work behind the scenes.  
The newly crowned and renamed Tiber Septim takes Hammerfell through trickery, supporting the losing side in a civil conflict to be invited in and seemingly legitimise his rule.

His later conquests are made possible by the Numidium, the Mantella, the weapon the Dwemer sought to create using the Heart of Lorkhan. It was once destroyed by Wulfarth, and now Hjalti betrays Wulfarth, the Underking, and Zurin Arctus, the Battlemage, by using Wulfarth's soul to power the Numidium, and accusing the Battlemage of attempting to kill him. Later, a rotting undead Mage who controls the skies destroys the Numidium, though it crushes him as it falls.  
Even later, after Tiber Septim's death, Pelagius the first takes over, and though nervous, he has a good advisor. A man arrived at the door. "I was friends with your Grandfather," the Underking said, "he sent me to help you run the Empire."

Those are the differing tales on how he came to be Emperor of Tamriel, but what is more contested today than ever than his divinity? Men have revered Tiber Septim as a Divine for ages past, a possible aspect of Lorkhan himself, who granted Men life. The Divine of Governance and Law, God of Men. But after the Great War, slightly over three decades ago, and its ending with the White-Gold Concordat, Men and Elves have been forbidden from worshipping him as they would, leading to Hammerfell leaving the Empire and Ulfric Stormcloak attempting his revolution.

The Thalmor claim that revering him as a Divine is blasphemous, an affront to the true Divines. They are actively suppressing the honouring of Talos where they can, and those, in Skyrim at least, who are too open about the faith are like to be hauled off to Northwatch Keep to be 'retrained'.  
This the only reason I regret aiding the Empire in the Civil War, and I make no secret of my disagreement with the Thalmor. In fact, if one were to check my basement in Lakeview Manor, one would be either shocked and horrified or ecstatic at the amount of second-hand Thalmor Justiciar robes and Elven armour I have... collected... over the years of this disagreement. They still attempt to execute me, of course. Growing my collection bit by bit.

I believe firmly that Talos ascended to Divinity, and I know that the Thalmor hold this same belief, despite their actions. They also believe, unlike me, that through persecuting and murdering his followers on Nirn he will be unmade, thereby destroying another Tower, bringing Nirn one step closer to destruction. I believe this is incorrect; if Nirn itself has accepted him as a Divine, there is little effect Man's belief can have on this.

As was mentioned in an earlier volume, Talos is also one of very few beings to have achieved CHIM, Royalty. He used this when he removed the jungles that once covered Cyrodiil from existence so entirely that there is no record of them outside of his removal of them. His erasure of the jungles of Cyrodiil was not merely causing them to disappear from the present, but from the past as well. As was written in Mankar Camoran's commentaries on the Mysterium Xarxes, volume three if I recall correctly, "Chim, those who know it can reshape the land. Witness the home of the Red King once jungled."  
The Red King is Talos, his home Cyrodiil.

 _\- From the Journals of the Dragonborn, Volume twenty.  
_

As a translator and scholar. I must not that much of what is written in the section on Hjalti is almost identical to recovered parts of a book named 'The Arcturian Heresy'. We had not believed that book to be that old, but the similarities are too striking to be coincidental, so we must assume that 'The Arcturian Heresy' was written either before or shortly after these journals were written; more likely before, as these were likely never published. I sincerely doubt even the Dragonborn had the political clout to openly admit to murdering official enforcers of the Aldmeri Dominion!

 **Author's note:** Well, here's the next one! Thank you very much for your reviews and suggestions, more of which are always welcome! If you spot any mistakes, tell me, I may or may not correct them (I am but an adventurer, after all, not a scholar!), but I would appreciate any comments. Oversights, on the other hand, I will correct if pointed out.


	7. Lorkhan

_On Lorkhan._

Lorkhan, the trickster God. He has been mentioned before; how could he not be? The being that first conceived the idea of Nirn, of Creation. The Elves in general hate him greatly, especially the Thalmor, for it is Nirn that ties them to their mortal coils, and Lorkhan, as the second Tower, that forces time to go in a line, where it once flowed freely.  
It is a common mistake for people to assume that Lorkhan and Talos are one and the same, both revered by Men, both hated by Elves.

And to some extent it is no mistake, for it was through mantling Lorkhan that Talos became a Divine.  
Mantling. _"Walk like them until they must walk like you."_ Often used to gain power, it is the greatest act of mimicry. It is to act like another, more powerful, being to such an extent that the lines between you blur, and the universe itself hardly distinguishes between the two.

There are few known successful cases in which Mantling was used to gain power, Talos mantled Lorkhan, and the Tribunal of Chimer mantled the Tribunal of Daedra. Almalexia, Vivec, Sotha Sil. Boethiah, Mephala, Azura.  
And of course, the Hero of Cyrodiil, who mantled Sheogorath. This was a different case though, for rather than mimicking Sheogorath until there was no true distinction between them, the mantle of the Mad God was granted to him by the Prince of Order, Jygallag.  
I can speak at most length of this last case, as I have met Sheogorath, and therefore the Champion, myself. It seems to me that it was a mutual imitation. Sheogorath was more heroic than the older tales tell; his quest for me was the curing of a long-dead madman, rather than the tales of raining flaming dogs and cheese you hear in older tales. The Champion does seem to have changed too, unless he was utterly insane in life too.

There are no true clear definitions of mantling, or even whether it is easier to mantle some deities than others. It is theorised that Talos had an easier time of mantling Lorkhan due to his time spent controlling the power of the Numidium, and indirectly Lorkhan's power, but it is, of course, uncertain.

Lorkhan is unique in that he is the only Aedra to have been stripped of immortality, cursed to wander the land in mortal form. These reincarnations are named in the Cyrodiilic fashion, Shezzarines. Shezzar for Lorkhan, for that is what they call him, and Ine for reborn. Examples are Pelinal Whitestrake, who helped St. Alessia in her revolt, and is renowned for his hatred of elves, and for the Khajiit's hatred of him, stemming from the misunderstanding that they were oddly-shaped furry elves. Which lead to him trying to kill them.  
Another example is King Wulfarth of the Nords, who was master of the voice, advisor to Tiber Septim and his grandson. He died once, but was brought to life, though he lacked a physical form. He was Ysmir, the Grey Wind, and the Stormcrown of Hjalti, according to some.

Shezzarines have the rare ability to comprehend Dragon Breaks, events wherein Time itself is bent and coiled, for the outcomes to come together as they should. The Warp in the West, near Iliac Bay, was one, and there was another at the Battle of Red Mountain. Shezzarines ability to comprehend these allows them to see and understand how these events involving the same people could take place at the same time.

Lorkhan is almost unique, in a quality shared only by Akatosh, that he appears in some form in all pantheons. He is the trickster or the creator, Shor, Shezzar, Lorkhan or Lorkhaj, but he exists in some form. For without Akatosh there is no time, and without Lorkhan, there is no Creation.

For it was Lorkhan who saw the secret tower of Aurbis, I, and that is what lead him to trick or persuade the other et'ada, first spirits, to create Nirn. He convinced Magnus, the architect who designed the world, and the Aedra to aid him. But he did not tell the Aedra what fueled creation. Power. The et'ada were being drained of their strength, it being sapped and used to fuel the building of Nirn. When they learned of this, the most powerful of them escaped, tearing holes in the fabric of Nirn and escaping to Aetherius. Magnus left the Sun, the Divines (other than Talos, for he was not born in that form yet) left the planets. They did this after killing Lorkhan in their rage, Trinimac tearing his heart from his chest and Auri-el, or Akatosh, firing it across the seas where it landed and created Red Mountain. Khajiit belief holds that his body became the moons, Masser and Secunda.

The weaker et'ada, the ones who remained, slowly weakened further. Some becoming part of Nirn itself, becoming the Earth. From there spawns the name "Ehlnofex". Earth Bones.  
The Elves, in their unending egocentrism, believe that they are descended from the Ehlnofex, who became Aldmer. Aldmer later further divided into Altmer, Chimer (who became Dunmer), Orsimer, Ayleids, Dwemer and Falmer. It is my belief that Elves were created by the Aedra, as Men were, but that they are too certain of their superiority to admit it.

Lorkhan is the greatest amongst the Gods, for it was he who conceived the idea of Nirn, and it was he who first discovered CHIM, though he never achieved it. According to Vivec, Lorkhan failed intentionally, so that others would see how not to fail as he did.

It was at the end of the Third Era that a new theory was developed. According to it, the Divines were not glorious, not honourable. The Divines were generals of Lorkhan, who betrayed him. According to this theory, Nirn is not the height of creation, the goodness in the sea of evil that is Oblivion. Nirn is Oblivion. Nirn is just another plane of Oblivion, Lorkhan's plane, and it has gone without its ruler for too long. I distrust this theory though, for it was spawned by Mehrunes Dagon during the Oblivion Crisis, as a reason for taking over Nirn. We were a kingdom with no king, an empire without Emperor. A herd with no shepherd. And it was the Lord of Change that would rescue us.

But Mankar Camoran's words, while pretty, are also rather biased, so I hesitate to believe this. If only I had thought to ask Sheogorath, for it was he who heard this first hand from Mankar Camoran himself. Perhaps I could ask him at some stage... No, I do not think so. In my youth I freely consorted with Daedric Princes, and looking back I wonder how I ever survived it. But should someone ever meet him, perhaps you could ask.

 _\- Fragments from the Journal of the Dragonborn, Volume twenty-one._

It is now entirely clear that, despite being seemingly adressed to readers, these were never meant to be read by others. There is almost no possibility of consorting freely with Daedra being widely accepted. The murder of Thalmor may gain sympathy amongst oppressed peoples, but serving Daedric Princes has never been accepted amongst Men, and rarely outside select circles of Mer.  
The only way he could have gotten away with this blatancy would by isolation or terror. The populace would never have respected anyone who so openly served the Daedra.  
One who made grudging deals in exchange for power, so that he might better fulfill his destiny, they might have accepted, but one who would consider consorting with them for conversation would never be respected or loved, only hated and possibly feared.

 **Author's Note:** I've been rather distracted lately, so this took a while to post, but here it is! Review if you would, to be honest I'd rather you reviewed than favourited (though both is ideal), as a review gives me some form of insight into what you liked, and thereby what I shouldn't change or adapt.


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